1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a code authentication apparatus, and more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for authenticating a combination code generated by combining a Quick Response (QR) code and an authentication code.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an authentication system uses an authentication code notification through a short-text message service of a terminal. For example, when a user of a Personal Computer (PC) accesses a web page for an authentication, an authentication server transmits a short-text message including an authentication code for the authentication to a user terminal. Thereafter, the user retrieves the authentication code from the short-text message displayed on a screen of the user terminal, and inputs the received authentication code into an authentication code input window displayed on the PC. When the authentication server receives the input authentication code and identifies that the input authentication code matches the authentication code included in the transmitted short-text message, the user is authenticated.
As described above, the conventional art has a disadvantage in that when the short-text message including the authentication code is transmitted to the user terminal, the short-text message has high visibility and weak security because the authentication code is transmitted in text form through a single network.
Also, the conventional art is inconvenient in that the user has to input the authentication code included in the short-text message received by the user terminal to the web page again.